Rahway High School Student Experiences the Inauguration

Rahway High School senior Austin Jackson was at the Capitol where he witnessed the Inauguration and also met Condoleezza Rice, George Clooney, and Bob Woodward as part of the National Young Leaders High School Presidential Inaugural Conference recently. (Photo courtesy of Rahway High School)

RAHWAY — Austin Jackson, a junior at Rahway High School, was privileged to witness the recent inauguration of President Obama in Washington, D.C. through his participation in the High School Presidential Inaugural Conference in the nation’s capital from Jan. 19 to 23. He earned the invitation through his participation at a summer National Young Leaders State Conference held in the Princeton area.

Jackson found experiencing the amount of energy created by the numbers of patriotic people remarkable. His group was able to be seated near the Reflecting Pool on the Mall, but many people were crowded in the streets outside the viewing area. In addition, during the conference, Jackson had the opportunity to meet Condoleezza Rice, national security advisor and secretary of state in the administration of George W. Bush; Jackson found her speech to the group especially inspirational.